Burner for combustible gases



Jim 15, 1948.

J. R. MARTIN BURNER FOR COMBUS'IIBLE GASES Filed July 12, 1945 I in Air INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BURNER FOR COMBUSTIBLE GASES John R. Martin, Baytown, Tex.l aselgnor to Standard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware Application July 12, 1945, Serial No. 604,648 1 Claim. (Cl. 158-1) The present invention is directed to a device adapted for burning combustible gases. In its more specific aspects, the present invention is directed to a pilot burner adapted to be supplied with combustible gases and which remains ignited even when placed in a stream of gases having a relatively high velocity. The present invention is also directed to the arrangement of a combustion chamber provided with means; for supplying relatively large amounts of combustible gases and oxygen-containing gases and having the pilot unit mounted in a stream of oxygencontaining gases adjacent the inlet for the combustible gases.

The improved pilot burner of the present invention may be described generally as involving a vessel adapted to be connected to a source of I gaseous fuel and a pair of conduits fluidly attached to said vessel with the axes of the pair of conduits parallel, the conduits defining outlets lying on a common axis and in apposition whereby the gaseous fuel flows from the vessel through said conduits and leaves the conduits through the outlets in the form of opposing jets. The projection of the two streams of gas against one another results in a condition of turbulence at the point of impact of the streams and when the gas is ignited the resultant flame is extremely difilcult to extinguish. In its preferred form, the pilot burner of the present invention includes a conduit adapted to be connected to a source of gaseous fuel having its end closed and having connected thereto a pair of relatively small conduits arranged coaxially with respect to the tubular conduit and each conduit of the pair defining an outlet making a right angle with the axis of the conduit and in opposition to the other outlet, and a shield, defining generally a tubular shape with a portion or portions removed, of a diameter substantially greater than the diameter separating the pair of smaller conduits arranged over the smaller conduits and mounted coaxially on said tubular conduit.

The pilot burner of the present invention is suitablefor use generally in combustion chambers which are provided with a gaseous fuel and an oxygen-containing gas and where it is necessary or desirable to maintain a flame under adverse circumstances. The pilot bumer is particularly adapted for use in hot gas generators of the type employed to supply hot gases to sulfuric acid plants for the purpose of regenerating spent acid. In such hot gas generators it is necessary to supply large amounts of heated gases under a pressure greater than atmospheric and Fig. 2 is a view taken along section II-II of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of internal elements shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of a hot gas generator adapted to supply large amounts of hot gas for industrial purposes, and provided with a pilot burner of the design shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 5 is a view taken along line VV of Fig. 4.

Turning now specifically to the drawing and first to the pilot burner shown in detail in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a conduit ll, adapted to be connected to a source of fuel gas, not shown, has its end closed by means of a plate I 2 to which is attached a pair of smaller conduits l3 and It. It will be understood that plate I! is provided with openings corresponding to the passages in the conduits l3 and it to allow fluid communication between these conduits and conduit I I. Conduit I3 is provided with an outlet l5 defining substantially less area than the area of the conduit and similarly, conduit I4 is provided with outlet ii of substantially less area than the area of flow of conduit l4. Outlets l5 and I6 are arranged so that the gases passing through conduits l3 and I4 respectively low form jets which impinge upon each other to form a turbulent area at the point of impact of the jets. In the drawing, the outlets i5 and it are shown as lying on a common axis and in opposition to each other and as making an angle of with the axes of conduits I3 and I4. It will be understood that conduits l3 and H are provided with no outlets except outlets l5 and "5, respectively;' it is convenient to close the ends of conduits i3 and M by means of a flat member I! which serves not only to close the ends of the conduits l3 and H but in addition serves as a brace to maintain these two conduits in a spaced relationship.

The combination described, including conduits II, it and It, in itself is a complete pilot burner v 3 Y which remains ignited under adverse circumstances. It will usually be desirable, however,

to provide a shield member in order to protect the jets projected through outlets l5 and I8 from direct contact with high velocity gases. A

suitable means for protecting the jets of gas in-' cludes a shield formed by an annulus member I8 arranged around and secured to conduit II, a circular end member l9 and a wall member 20 with one end secured to end member l8, its other end secured to end member l9 and from whicha section 2| has been removed. It is desirable to provide the wall member 20 with perforations The arrangement of the pilot burner shown in detail in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, in a hot gas generator is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In the embodiment shown, members 40 and 4| define wall sections which are connected to end section 42 provided with outlet 43. Adjacent end section 42 is a perforate wall section 44, formed, for example, by laying up brick in a checkerwork pattern, and arranged to prevent flames from impinging upon end section 42.

Opposite end section 42 is end section 45 defining a central opening 46 and a plurality of smaller inlet openings 41 arranged symmetrically around central opening 46. Annulus 4B surrounds central opening 46 and extends inwardly. Inlet members 49 are secured to furnace wall 45 adjacent the inlet openings 41 and are arranged to project oxygen-containing gases tangentially with respect to annulus 48. away from wall 45 to define a chamber or passage for conducting oxygen-containing gases to central opening 46 and openings 41 is a breaching member 50. An inlet member or conduit 5|. having a diameter substantially smaller than the inside diameter of annulus 48 extends through breaching 50 and is arranged co-axially with annulus 48 with an end of member 5| projecting through wall 45 and within annulus 48. Between inlet 5| and annulus 48 is an annular space within which is arranged the pilot burner, designated by numeral 52. The pilot burner is connected to a suitable source of combustible gas, not shown, by means of a relatively small conduit 53 which is generally parallel to inlet 5| and extends through breaching 50. A conduit 54 is connected with breaching 50 to supply oxygen-containing gases to the chamber defined by breaching 50 and wall 45. These gases pass via inlet members 49 and the annular space between inlet 5| and opening 46 into the combustion chamber defined by walls 44, 45, 40 and 4|. To control the flow of gases through these openings, dampers 55 are provided.

In the embodiment shown it will be evident that relatively high velocity of flow occurs in the passage in which the pilot burner 52 is arranged. However, the construction of the pilot burner is such that it remains ignited even though gases flow through the passage in which it is arranged at a relatively high velocity.

In order to illustrate further the present invention, dimensions which have been found advantageous in the construction of the embodiment shown in the drawing are given. It will be understood that these dimensions are given only by way of illustration andare not intended to limit the invention disclosed herein. Conduit may be constructed of %-inch tubing. Conduits l3 and i4 may be constructed of%-inch tubing with a length of approximately 4 inches and spaced approximately 1 inches apart. The

Spaced outlets I5 and i6 may havea diameter of 6-inch.

. tible gas may be supplied to inlets 5| and 53 under a pressure of 30 pounds per square inch and the air may be supplied to the hot gas generator in an amount within the range of 10,000 to 14,000 cubic feet per minute. The hot gas removed through outlet 43 may have a pressure within the range of 2 to 3 inches of water.

In a gas generator having the dimensions given above, a burner constructed in accordance with the dimensions given in the examples was supplied with combustible gases and ignited. Combustible gases were supplied to the burner through inlet 5| and air was supplied to the burner through conduit '54. It was found that when the pilot burner was provided with a shield the-burner remained lighted at all times-even though the velocity of the gases adjacent the burner were increased to about 60 feet per second.

When the shield comprising members |8, I9 and '7 20 was removed from the burner and the gases passed into the combustion chamber, the burnerremained ignited when the velocity of flow was below about 40 feet per second but was extin-1 guished when the velocity of flow was increased to about 40 feet per second.

While I have disclosed specific embodiments of the present invention and specific dimensions which have been found useful in the construction I of the device, it will be obvious to a workman skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The nature and objects of the present invention having been described and illustrated, what is claimed as new and useful and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

An apparatus adapted for burning combustible gases in a high velocity air stream comprising, in combination, wall members defining a combustion chamber, with one of the wall members defining an opening and an annulus surrounding the opening and projectin into the chamber to serve as an air inlet, means adapted to supply a high velocity air stream through the Opening of said annulus to said chamber, a conduit adapted to be connected toa supply of combustible gas having a cross-sectional area substantially less than the area of the opening of said annulus and extending into the opening of said annulus, and a pilot burner mounted adjacent the end of said conduit within the opening of the annulus within the space defined by the inner wall of the annulus and the outer wall of the conduit, said pilot burner comprising a tubular conduit adapted to be connected to a combustible gas supply means, a spaced pair of smaller conduits connected in communication with said tubular conduit and. defining 'a first and a second outlet of substantially equal area, said first and second outlets I lying on a common axis and in opposition to each other, and a cylindrical shield having closed ends and a longitudinal section of its wall removed and having a diameter substantially greater than the distance separating said pair of smaller conduits 5 arranged over said conduits and mounted coax- Number tally on said tubular conduit. 1,924,440 JOHN R. MARTIN. 1,954,503 1,967,606 REFERENCES CITED 6 2,155,339 The following references are of record in the 2,220,572 file of this patent: 3 323 135; UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,263,170 Number Name Date 10 2,304,200

1,777,221 Petltalot Sept. 30, 1930 2,319,351 1,801,948 Bastian Apr. 21, 1931 2, 1,920,186 Carter Aug. 1, 1933 6 Name Date Fomey Aug. 29, 1933 Suess Apr. 10, 1934 Brown July 24, 1934 Stoll Apr. 18, 1939 Knup p Nov. 5, 1940 Cope Oct. 21, 1941 Cope Oct. 21, 1941 Haecllke Nov. 18, 1941 Plain et el Dec. 8, 1942 Shlpley et a1. May 18, 1943 Fox Sept. 25, 1945 

